["Upon the invitation of the China Wisdom Engineering Association, the Southwest University of China, and the Institute of Chinese Wisdom Studies (Los Angeles), Professor Howard C. Nusbaum, Principal Investigator of the University of Chicago Wisdom Research Project, recently completed a 10-day trip to China, marking the first successful academic exchange between U.S. and China wisdom researchers...

Progress made on wisdom studies in the U.S. generated great excitement among the Chinese wisdom researchers. Several school principals and teachers in K-12th-grade classrooms shared their experiences and described their wisdom experiments conducted in wisdom education. "It is very striking to see how many wisdom education concepts were investigated and discussed, and how eagerly educators are looking for theoretical guidance", said Zhang Qingsong. Plans for a joint U.S.-China Wisdom Studies Conference to be held in Beijing in 2014 were proposed and warmly welcomed at the meeting...

Throughout the visit it was clear that there is significant interest in wisdom research and furthering a field of wisdom science on a global scale.

“Across presentations, there was substantial agreement on several important points regarding education in China, as well as in the United States,” Nusbaum said. “First, there is recognition that wisdom is more than intelligence and creativity combined, and more than knowledge and skills. Wisdom involves understanding others and respecting others (grounded in empathy) as well as the engagement of prosocial values and virtues. Second, although wisdom is recognized to have an important place in education, currently it is seldom explicitly part of curricula. Educational practices, from elementary school to college, tend to focus on the delivery of information and the development of academic skills. While academic knowledge and skills are important for developing wisdom, they are not sufficient. Third, it was recognized that there is a need to understand more deeply how best to teach wisdom, especially in respect of adding empathy and prosocial considerations to curricula. Finally, the concern was discussed that there are already tight constraints on the school day in terms of what is currently taught and required, and there may be little room to incorporate new educational goals. This raises a problem for education as a field to consider whether the current structure of teaching can accommodate everything that needs to be taught.” "]

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